LET US ATTEND!

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Ecumenical Patriarchate - Holy Archdiocese of New Zealand
- Number of Leaf 55
7 2010, 7 February 2010, Judgment (Meatfare) Sunday
( 8, 8-13, 9, 1-2)
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Apostle (St. Paul's 1st Letter to the Corinthians

8:8-13; 9:1-2)
Brethren, food will not commend us to God. We
are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off
if we do. Only take care lest this liberty of yours
somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.
For if any one sees you, a man of knowledge, at
table in an idol's temple, might he not be
encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food
offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this
weak man is destroyed, the brother for whom
Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brethren
and wounding their conscience when it is weak,
you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a
cause of my brother's falling, I will never eat
meat, lest I cause my brother to fall.
Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not
seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my
workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an
apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of
my apostleship in the Lord.

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Knowing the commandments of the Lord, let this be our way of life:
Let us feed the hungry, let us give the thirsty drink,
Let us clothe the naked, let us welcome strangers,
Let us visit those in prison and the sick.
Then the Judge of all the earth will say even to us:
'Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for
you.' (Vespers for Saturday evening, Sunday of the Last Judgement).

 ( 25.31-46)


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Gospel (Matthew 25:31-46)

The Lord said, "When the Son of man comes in his
glory and all the holy angels with him, then he will
sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be
gathered all the nations, and he will separate them
one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep
from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his
right hand, but the goats at the left.
Then the king will say to those at his right hand,
'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty
and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you
welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I
was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you
came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or
thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see
you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and
clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in
prison and visit you?' And the King will answer
them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the
least of these my brethren, you did it to me.'
Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'Depart
from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared
for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and
you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me
no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome
me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in
prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will
answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or
thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison,
and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer
them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of
the least of these, you did it not to me.' And they will
go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous
into eternal life."

Biblical explanation

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Gods judgement is infallible and just because it is based on the love we demonstrate toward our fellowman.
For instance, to whomever is hungry, thirsty, or is a stranger and homeless without clothing and we provide
for whatever they need, or when we visit the sick or those imprisoned, with our only motivation being to love
them, not expecting to receive anything in return. We do well to remember the words of Christ: as you did it
to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me; that is to say, it is in our neighbour that we can
encounter God Himself.